150TH YEAR, NO. 7
WEEKEND EDITION // SATURDAY, JULY 16, 2022
$1.50
County asks
state for help
with housing
Requests in advance of next session
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
Lydia Ely/The Astorian
Cars are shown near the intersection of W. Marine Drive and Olney Avenue,
part of where homeless camping could be allowed in Astoria.
Astoria to
detail homeless
camping locations
City’s response to court rulings and state law
By NICOLE BALES
The Astorian
fter approving a home-
less camping ordinance
that details the time and
manner people can sleep out-
doors, the Astoria City Council
on Monday will review places
people can and cannot sleep.
The ordinance is in response
to federal court rulings and state
legislation that prohibit police
from enforcing illegal camping
on public property unless there
are adequate shelter spaces avail-
A
able. Local governments , like
Astoria, that do not have ade-
quate shelter space can detail the
time, place and manner people
can sleep outdoors so camping
can be enforced everywhere else.
Cities across Oregon are
adjusting camping ordinances,
balancing the need to meet the
new standards with community
interests.
Astoria’s ordinance, which
was approved in June, estab-
lished the time and manner pro-
visions , allowing people to set
up temporary camps overnight
Read more online and see a
draft map of potential camp-
ing locations at:
www.astoria.or.us/
Livability.aspx
from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. with bed-
rolls or sleeping bags, tarps, or
small tents. The city chose to
take on the place component
separately to allow for more
public feedback.
Lydia Ely/The Astorian
See Homeless camping, Page A6
Newfoundlands on
parade at Fort Clatsop
Housing is the dominant public policy issue in Clatsop
County.
Virus outbreaks disclosed
at hospital, care homes
Cases detailed in state’s biweekly report
By ERICK BENGEL
The Astorian
By ALEXIS WEISEND
The Astorian
See Seaman’s Day, Page A3
See Housing, Page A6
HOMELESS
CAMPING
On Seaman’s Day, it’s all about belly
rubs, drool and a little bit of history
Massive, bear-like fi gures could
be spotted between the trees at Fort
Clatsop on Wednesday. But it was a
cause for celebration, not alarm .
Newfoundland dogs and their
owners have gathered at the fort
once a year for nearly three decades
to honor “Seaman,” who served
as Meriwether Lewis’ companion
during Lewis and Clark’s Corps of
Discovery e xpedition.
The big dog is famous around
Oregon, immortalized in the form of
stuff ed animals and statues, as well
as inspiring the mascot for Lewis &
Clark C ollege.
Newfoundlands were an ideal
breed to bring on the expedition
in the early 1800s because of their
many capabilities, which include
being watchdogs, hunters, swim-
mers and protectors .
“Some like to do diff erent jobs.
His job is to lay on the couch and
be handsome,” Elise DeChaine
Ghiglieri said of the 227-pound pile
of dark fur named “James Bond.”
James Bond is an uncle to her
dog, “Gatsby.” Not even a year old,
Gatsby is already 150 pounds.
The Clatsop County
Board of Commissioners
has sent a letter to Gov.
Kate Brown asking for
assistance on housing and
homelessness issues as the
state prepares for the 2023
l egislative s ession.
The letter was also
addressed to Andrea Bell,
the executive director
of the Oregon Housing
and Community Services
Department, and mem-
bers of the state Depart-
ment of Land Conserva-
tion and Development’s
h ousing n eeds w ork g roup
and h ousing c apacity w ork
g roup.
Ryan Deibert, the gov-
ernor’s health and hous-
ing policy adviser, told the
county in an email that the
governor’s team is “work-
ing closely with Director
Bell and her staff at Ore-
gon Housing and Commu-
nity Services to provide a
detailed response in the
coming weeks.”
The letter asks for state-
level support in the coun-
ty’s eff orts to address the
growing problem.
“We encourage you to
address our concerns in
your fi nal 2023 legisla-
tive concepts and policy
option packages,” the let-
ter, signed by Mark Kujala,
the chairman of the com-
mission, says.
Citing a p oint-in-t ime
c ount from 2019, the letter
notes that Clatsop County
has the highest rate of
homelessness of all Ore-
gon counties. The fi gure
— 22.7 homeless individ-
uals per 1,000 residents
— is almost certainly an
undercount because it pre-
dates the COVID-19 pan-
demic that destabilized
many people’s housing sit-
uation, the letter points out.
In addition, applicants
for housing choice vouch-
ers from the Northwest
Oregon Housing Authority
Lydia Ely/The Astorian
‘Preston,’ a Newfoundland, drools during Seaman’s Day at Fort Clatsop.
NEWFOUNDLANDS ARE FAMOUS
AROUND OREGON, IMMORTALIZED IN
THE FORM OF STUFFED ANIMALS AND
STATUES, AS WELL AS INSPIRING THE
MASCOT FOR LEWIS & CLARK C OLLEGE.
The Oregon Health Author-
ity has disclosed a corona-
virus outbreak at Columbia
Memorial Hospital.
In a biweekly outbreak
report released on Wednes-
day , the health authority listed
eight virus cases at the Astoria
hospital. An investigation into
the outbreak began on June
22. T he most recent onset was
on June 26, the report said.
“Over the past several
weeks, the state of Ore-
gon has seen an increase in
COVID cases. It should come
as no surprise that members
of our community, includ-
ing a few employees at CMH,
have been (COVID-posi-
tive),” Sarah Bello, the hospi-
tal’s interim communications
director, said in an email.
“CMH continues to be a safe
place for our community to
seek care.”
The health authority dis-
closes outbreaks at work-
places with 30 or more
employees when at least
fi ve workers test positive for
COVID-19.
The report also detailed
outbreaks at local care homes .
An outbreak at Avamere
at Seaside involved 14 virus
cases and was fi rst reported
Hailey Hoff man/The Astorian
Public
health
leaders
recommend boosters to protect
against the coronavirus.
on June 27, according to the
report .
Avamere administrators
could not immediately be
reached for comment.
An outbreak at Clatsop
Care Retirement Village in
Astoria maxed out at 17 virus
cases: 14 residents and three
staff , The Astorian previously
wrote. The outbreak was fi rst
reported to the state on June
6, the report said.
Clatsop Care Memory
Community in Warrenton had
an outbreak involving nine
virus cases. Last month, The
Astorian reported eight of
them: six residents and two
staff . The outbreak was also
reported to the state on June
6.
See Outbreaks, Page A6